overplay
verb
overplay is spelled O-V-E-R-P-L-A-Y: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 9 million words in written English, the 88,353rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, overplay means “To overdo or overact one's effect or role” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in overplay?
| Letters | 8: O-V-E-R-P-L-A-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 9 million words; the 88,353rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is overplay?
Overplay appears about once in every 9 million words in written English, the 88,353rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce overplay?
- US
Overplay has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Flame,_not_lame-overplay.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of overplay
- overplays present, singular, he/she/it
- overplaying participle, present
- overplayed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does overplay mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To overdo or overact one's effect or role.
When Chris overacted his part again, the director warned that anyone overplaying would be barred from the next production.
- 2
To play (a song or record) too frequently, often to the point of causing weariness and annoyance.
- 3
To overestimate one's strength in a game or event, which ultimately may end in a defeat.
Jack won the last match of blackjack; Theo overplayed.
- 4
To accidentally hit (one's golf ball) beyond "the green".
The first few shots went wonderfully, but Robin overplayed the last and lost.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Overplay in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | surjouer |
| Spanish | sobreactuar , sobreestimar, superusar, hiperutilizar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does overplay come from?
From over- + play.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).